Buttermilk Biscuits with Pumpkin Butter

Light and moist, these biscuits get their tang from a healthy shot of buttermilk. Best served warm with a daub of local honey or spice-infused pumpkin butter.

Ingredients

Biscuits

2 cups unbleached flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, cold

3/4 cup buttermilk

Pumpkin Butter

2 1/2 cups cooked pumpkin, pureed

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup apple cider

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preparation

Biscuits

Preheat oven to 400°F. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Pour into a food processor, and add butter in chunks, pulsing untilpea-sized crumbles form. (To mix without food processor, cut in butter with two knives.) Slowly add buttermilk and mixuntil entire mixture is just blended. Pour dough out onto a floured surface and knead about five times. Pat out until about K-inch thick. Using a biscuit cutter or the floured rim of a large drinking glass, cut dough into circles. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for about 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Remove and serve warm with pumpkin butter.

Pumpkin Butter

Combine all ingredients in a heavy 4-quart saucepan. (To make homemade puréed pumpkin, wash a medium-sized sugarpumpkin and slice it, removing seeds and pith, and bake at 300°F skin-side up in a roasting pan filled with N cup water for 1 hour, or until tender. Remove, cool, peel and purée the meat.) Stirring frequently to avoid burning, bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce heat and simmer until thick, 15–20 minutes. (Thickening time will be reduced if using canned pumpkin.) Recipe yields about 2 cups of pumpkin butter; leftovers may be frozen in an airtight container for up to six months.